New Postgraduate Study Space

We are delighted to be able to tell you that a brand-new study space designed specifically for postgraduate students will be opened tomorrow, 17th January 2013.

The space, on level 5 of the main University Library building, has around 170 study spaces, most of which have power sockets for laptops and other devices, couches, and 5 bookable group study rooms with plasma screens and data connections.

The entire floor is wi-fi enabled and there are no desktop PCs in the area so students can bring in their own devices and connect easily to the network.

The group study rooms will be available to book through the Welcome Desk from 21st January and wireless printing should be installed soon.

The University continues to attract an increasing number of postgraduates and this redevelopment is a response to the needs of this student group. We will be working with colleagues at the Gilchrist Postgraduate Club to try to meet the needs of our postgraduate students and would welcome any feedback you have about the new space.

41 replies

Perhaps this room could be used for final year UGs and PGs? I love working in here and considering it is the only place with plugs on every desk, I don’t think it is fair to come kick us out at this point (midway through finals).

During exam time, you have to get to the library (any area) early to get a seat. As an UG who comes in at 7.30am every morning, I don’t appreciate the generalisations about chattiness or leaving belongings, especially since it isn’t always just the UGs doing so…

I am a current postgraduate, and I have deadlines today and would have really appreciated some quiet space in the library so I could work. However, the study space, today as it has been most recent days, is full of undergraduates. What’s more annoying is that they are eating and littering, and that currently most of the desks are ‘reserved’ and aren’t even in use. It’s not as if I can just go ahead and move someone laptop if they’ve left it for hours. I know you’ve put signs up, but I think they’ve worked out that no one is actually going to enforce this, and so aren’t taking any notice. I saw a guard in there yesterday – just walking around. He didn’t check anyone’s right to be there or anything. Could somebody please go up there now and clear some space?

The old study space in the main building had a card entry system which only PG students could activate. The University library should really install one of those to increase the ‘postgraduate’ security. Bit unfair during times of deadline frenzy.

Hi Matt, thanks for your comment. We have begun preparatory work to install a swipe access system, and this should be in place before the start of next session. We’ll then monitor use of the space for the following year and see how that works.

Is it possible to add some desks along the wall right at the left of the entrance door? And I agree with Alex, I think just a sheet of paper on the door saying that the area is not for undergrads might dissuade at least some to keep coming so that we don’t have to come at 7 to find a desk…

Hi Izzy, I’ll feed your comments about more desks back to Library management, however additional desks may not be possible as desk capacity and lay-out are linked to factors such as access for disabled users and fire escape, and areas are planned to accommodate as many people as safely possible. We’ve arranged for signs to go up in and around the area, including the door, saying that the area is for Postgraduate students only. These will be on display from tomorrow. As you say, hopefully this will help.

Hi – once again, the PGSP is entirely full of current UGs, and there is no space for actual PGs to sit and work. Would it be possible for you to send someone up to clear at least a few of them out, or something? This is getting really stupid. A lot of seats have, again, been ‘reserved’ for long periods of time by leaving items such as bags and notebooks. There isn’t even a sign saying that random checks will take place, or that UGs aren’t allowed to study here. I know its exam time, but could we at least compromise, and say that UGs can have half the room, and that PGs can have the other half? Just something so that PGs can actually use the room would be nice. Thanks.

Hi. I find it really interesting how so many of the PGs in the study space appear to be revising for UG exams. Please make this stop. There is now no space at all, and I -an actual PG- have to go elsewhere. Fair? No, without swipe cards, can we please have one of the security guys just stand by the door or something? I’m sure they’d appreciate an opportunity to be overly officious about something. Seriously, though, the amount of space taken up by UGs is really annoying. Please sort it out. Thanks.

Hi Alex, as you’ll have seen from the comments and replies below, we’re looking at installing swipe access over the summer. I’ll suggest to our Library Attendants team that they include checks of the space in their rota over the next few weeks, but I’m afraid having someone situated at the door all day isn’t possible.
As with other areas of the library, the PG space is busiest at peak times, but you should be able to find a space more easily early in the morning or in the early evening. Thanks for your comments.

I arrived at 10 today and it was already full. And this is in great part due to the single most annoying thing: some people leave their stuff for hours in a row. I understand that people want to take breaks but I’ve seen people arrive, put down all their stuff and come back up to four hours later. There are also at least 10 spaces with just one open book or just a single sheet of paper on table. Then people think there is someone there when there is not. In just half an hour I saw about ten people go all around not finding a seat when there are actually a lot of spaces left. Is it possible for the security guys to get empty all the spaces which have no personal belongings on them? That would be much appreciated. If not I’m going to start coming with sticky notes, gather all the stray books, put them somewhere and leave sticky notes to indicate where I put them…

Apart from that, it is still a great study space so thank you Glasgow uni for building it!🙂

Hi Izzy, thanks for the reply. I’m sorry about the tone in my last message, I just got annoyed with the lack of space for PGs in the PG space. I guess that it isn’t possible to install a guard outside the door – but would it be possible to have them come around to the PGSS, not to check useage levels, but to manually check ID cards when the run is obviously full of UGs, and then ask them to leave? Sort of like a conductor on a train?

Hi folks, I think getting some random checks of those using the space is a good idea, so we’ll see about getting that organised.
The problem of students ‘reserving’ seats by leaving books, bags, etc and going away for long periods is something we’ve been talking to the SRC about. We have a new publicity campaign trying to discourage this sort of behaviour which will launch at the start of next session. Library staff can’t move personal belongings but we can move books and I’ll have a word with our Collection Services team about that. Thanks for your comments.

I hope it’s not too late for suggestions. I agree with swipe-card check to make sure only PG’s can access this area, since it was designed for PG’s. I also like the idea of a water dispenser which is lacking here. Finally, I would suggest allowing eating cold food so long as it is done silently. As most people have emphasized, as PG’s we have a lot of work and I don’t persoannly want to be forced to take lunchbreaks to avoid eating here, or to spend 10 hours working without eating. Eating might make a bit of noise, but someone nomming a sandwich makes a lot less noise, and is a lot less irritating than people who constantly forget to turn off the sound on their phones, laptops, or even the sound a phone buzzing every five minute when people receive texts. Apart from that, it’s a great study space and I thoroughly enjoy it. It has in fact become my second home (or maybe even my first one considering how much time I spend here…)

Hi Izzy, it’s never too late for suggestions! It’s great to get feedback, especially from regular users of the PG space. The feedback we’ve had about swipe access has been very much in favour of it, so it’s something we’ll look at over the summer. Thanks also for your suggestions about food – I’ll discuss this with my colleagues. I know what you mean about not wanting to take lunch breaks, so we need to balance this against the feedback we get from other users about food. Thanks again for your commments, and I hope you continue to fund the PG Study Space a good place to work.

Finding a desk in the postgrad area is proving impossible, and it isn’t even exam period yet. I understand that you are monitoring the situation, but clearly if it is full now it will only get worse in the coming months. Please restrict the area to postgrad students only using a card swipe, as it is obvious that the room is being utilised by everyone.

As it is virtually impossible to find somewhere quiet in the library, the postgraduate room was promising, however the group study rooms in the PG area advocate chatter and the gaps under the doors mean the rooms are not sound proof. I’m sure there are a lots of postgraduates hoping that this space can be silent very soon.

Hi Christine, the space is currently zoned amber, so as with the rest of levels 4-7, so it’s a quiet study space, not a silent one. If we get feedback from PGs that they want silent study then we’ll look at changing that, so your comments are helpful. I’m sorry you’re finding the noise from the group study rooms distracting – I’ll feed that back to the project team.

I liked clean and modern look space. However, I found it was pretty cold near to windows and could hear fanning noise. Also chair was not so comfortable If I sat for a while, I cannot but fidgeting. Apart from that I like the area. If I am being more demanding, it will be great if there is water dispenser.

I have to agree with Pavel. It is important for Postgraduates to have a space of their own, where there is silence and available seating. It has been very frustrating in the past, with the level of work that I am currently managing, not to find any available seating in the library. When there is space, I have often been distrubed by students playing music loudly/talking/eating/playing computer games.

As such, I think the new postgraduate area is a really fantastic idea. However, this is undermined by the fact that it is freely accessible for all students (a sign won’t stop people, especially when it is exam time). What’s more, the sign now seems to have been taken down. So there is now NO indication that this area is for postgraduates only, and undergraduates are (understandably) taking full advantage of this.

I’ve read all your comments.
Post Graduate study room was a brilliant idea, so thank you for it.

Postgraduate study is different from undergraduate study. It requires far more concentration, silence, and time to spend on your thoughts. The silence and the atmosphere directly influence the GU PG students performance and GU World Rating as well. So, please:
– protect the access, for PG students only could enter (there is no more a lot of seats available),
– strictly forbid eating, especially crisps,
– put a sign about a silent place,
– make sure this rules are followed.

Sorry for being too demanding, but this is the best way to benefit from your investments.

Hi Pavel, I’m replying for now as Catriona is currently unavailable. Thanks for your input, it’s important for us to hear the views of postgraduates who need, and use, this area. We’re reviewing signage and zoning information throughout the building, and are prioritising this area, so you should see some improvement soon. We’ll also ensure staff continue to monitor this area closely.

Is this space now for all students? it is full, many of students just sitting and surfing in the internet and eating – too annoying! Asked several times to be quiter… It is a library, not a common room.

Hi Mayya, thanks for letting us know. This is a quiet area for post graduate students, and eating isn’t permitted, so we’ll send somebody up to have a look. Please let us know if you have any further issues or speak to the attendants at the Library entrance who’ll be happy to help. Thanks again for your comments.

Not entirely sure making this room a post-graduate only room was such a good idea. I just spent no less than 20 minutes searching the library for a seat with a vacant plug-socket nearby. Whilst I have come to expect this at the library it is incredibly annoying to see a room with ~100 plug sockets in it that only has 7 current users!

Whats more, come exam-time when the library is absolutely mobbed, this problem is going to be compounded as we no longer have access the the level 5 annex seats which we used to. I appreciate that post-graduate students like to have a place to call there own, but surely that is what the Gilchrist is for.

If post-graduate usage of the room does not increase will it become open for use by the rest of us?

Thanks for your comments. We’ve had quite a few comments recently from students asking for additional power sockets on the floors and we’re working on it – we’ll post news of new power socket installations on our Facebook page, so keep an eye on that.

The PG study space is designed to complement the Gilchrist rather than replicate it and we hope PG students will find both areas useful depending on whether they are working socially or individually.

We took the decision not to install swipe access at the start of the redevelopment project to give us time to see how heavily the space will be used across the year, and we’ll base future decisions on access on what we find with the space this session. This may mean that at certain times of year we open the space to other users, and we’ll publicise that if we do take that decision.

Thanks for your comments – I’ll pass them on to make sure they’re taken into consideration.

Hi Mayya, we are monitoring use of the space at the moment and may introduce swipe access in the future if it’s needed. At the moment there are plenty of free study spaces in the PG area so it’s too soon to say whether we’ll need it or not.

Hi Ian, not initially, no. We will monitor the use of the space and may introduce swipe access if it’s needed, but we hope that other students/library users will understand this is a PG-only area and will continue to use the rest of the library for studying.

There definitely needs to be swipe only access. The library is filling up as people discover this free space and it is harder than ever to find a seat. There are many students in there I know to be UGs and this is quite unfair.